


The Mirror Within

by OxyMoron1610



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Asexual Raphael Santiago, BAMF Alec Lightwood, Bottom Magnus Bane, Dom Alec Lightwood, F/M, Flirty Alec Lightwood, Human/Vampire Relationship, Jealous Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Multi, Parent Magnus Bane, Parent Raphael Santiago, Possessive Alec Lightwood, Protective Alec Lightwood, Sub Magnus Bane, Top Alec Lightwood, Vampire Alec Lightwood, gentledom!Alec, human Magnus bane, it can be read as either canon malec or twi malec, your pick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23087431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OxyMoron1610/pseuds/OxyMoron1610
Summary: This wasn’t the first time Magnus had met a vampire. It wasn’t even the first time he had been attracted to a creature of the night.But it was the first time he had felt this alive while coincidentally being right on the brink of death.Meeting and falling in love with the eldest son of the Lightwood Clan, the most ruthless of the Vampire Clans, was as dangerous as it came; but Magnus Bane wasn’t typically known for playing it safe.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Isabelle Lightwood/Raphael Santiago, Lorenzo Rey/Andrew Underhill, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood/Raphael Santiago, Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, brief!Magnus Bane/Catarina Loss
Comments: 32
Kudos: 115





	1. My Heart in Trash Bags

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! So I noticed the severe lack of vamp!Alec that wasn’t super sad so I decided to rectify that! This is def a happy ending type story, but that isn’t to say there won’t be angst!
> 
> I’ve never tried to write a sex scene, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to...I’m still prob gonna try though. In my eyes Alec is the top (they’re realistically both switches but Mags is hot on the bottom so... ;) )
> 
> Thanks for reading this far!! I love y’all!! Enjoy!!

The first time Magnus encounters a vampire, he is barely five years old. He has already been on the streets for some time when he meets Raphael, his future caretaker and friend.

When Magnus was thrown out by his stepfather, he quickly learned how to live on the streets. That meant continuously avoiding and adapting; he sticks to these ideals at all times and never lets his guard down. He knows the consequences of getting caught more than most children would.

The little boy has just taken some cash out of a pompous, elderly woman’s change purse without her knowledge, shoved it in his shoe that was a couple sizes too big, and ran. He turns a corner, and a man shrouded in darkness is staring at him. Magnus can only see his eyes which are a strange burgundy color. 

The little boy can smell the acrid smoke filling the air of the alley and chokes on it a little.

Magnus doesn’t back down from the staring match the stranger starts, but he does try to run. The man grabs at Magnus’s already torn clothes and leans closer to the little boy. The child is getting more nervous as every second ticks by, but he still doesn’t say a word.

A second figure turns the corner that Magnus himself had turned down moments ago. This one is a very striking woman who has long legs and a cruel smile. Her eyes never leave Magnus’s but when she speaks it obviously isn’t aimed at him.

In a language Magnus has barely ever heard before, she says, “Oh, my dear Raphael, I thought you didn’t like the way children squirmed when you bit into their scrawny, little necks.” Magnus is a very clever child, and he can get himself out of most tricky situations but he can’t honestly say he has been able to understand anything she said to the man with the strange-looking eyes.

The other man doesn’t look humored by what the lady has said, but he doesn’t let go of the five-year-old’s shirt either. His voice is tense but calming when he bites out, “Camille, I thought Lightwood kicked you out of New York after your last senseless bender of innocents.” 

Her smile doesn’t decrease in the slightest, but it does look a little more bloodthirsty and fake. “I think you mean to say he tried to. Now, Darling, I must ask why you decided to be their _pet_.” She spits that word and continues, “You know I will be ruling the shadow world again very soon. And you also know that you do not want me as an adversary. In fact, I’ll make you a deal. Give the boy to me, and I will make you my second-in-command. You and I can bring down the Lightwood clan once and for all!”

The man looks at Magnus and says in Magnus’s native tongue before ending in what Magnus thinks is the weird language again, “I will not leave this innocent to die at your hands. And I will _never_ join you. Ever. Now, leave, _la_ _perra_.”

Suprising Magnus, the women does turn to leave, but she looks at him one more time before going back the way she’d come. “He will be mine, and nothing you or the Lightwoods do will stop that. It is destiny.”

The man growls after her, but she has disappeared into the crowded streets once again. He turns to Magnus. “Do you have anywhere to live, little one?”

Magnus shakes his head no.

”Well, you’re going to be living with me for a little while then. I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me in _mi culo_.” He sighs before saying, “My name is Raphael; what is yours?

Magnus speaks up for the first time since the incident had begun, “Why should I trust you?”

The man, who he assumes he should call Raphael, says, “You shouldn’t. Only trust yourself.”

He then holds out his hand for the little boy to grab hand and walks Magnus to his apartment where he feeds the child and gets him to bed. Just as the little eyelids are falling heavily over the glowing, golden-brown eyes, Raphael knows he is screwed.

~~~

Flash forward twenty years, and Magnus Bane’s life is still anything but normal. Magnus’s fiancée, Catarina Loss and her daughter, Madzie are moving into his apartment this afternoon; and Raphael had been called into an impromptu vamp meeting (not that he had told Cat that) so Magnus hadn’t seen him for almost a week now.

Ironically, the only solace Magnus can find is in his extremely boring job as a real estate agent. Real estate was definitely not the glittery and quite fashionable man’s first choice for a career, but he has to be able to provide for his family.

Magnus had grown up wanting to be a dancer, but not every dream could become a reality. He has learned that the hard way.

This is why he was marrying Catarina, even though he didn’t feel anything but familial love towards her; he wants Madzie to have everything her little heart could ever desire. Cat is always nagging him about spoiling Madzie, but he can’t stop himself. She is his whole world.

He determines himself to be the best father figure he can be. And he has a wonderful example in Raphael to model himself after.

While Magnus is very nervous (borderline anxious) for his adoptive father, he knows first hand that Raphael is more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, Magnus has a lot of other to worry about.

”Bane! You need to be out of this office in fifteen! You were off the clock an hour ago, and I refuse to pay you overtime. I _know_ you have better things to do tonight than this.” Magnus looks up from his company’s standard-issue laptop. Ragnor Fell, his favorite coworker and also his boss, is standing over him.

Magnus winks at his longtime friend and says, “Trying to get rid of me, My Dear Cabbage?”

Ragnor growls, but Magnus knows he is hiding a smile behind his grumpy exterior. “Would you just go? I know you’ll destroy something in this office if I’m not watching over you, and I can’t tonight. I have places to be...” The older man trails off, but Magnus, who can read Ragnor like an open book, already knows what that meant.

”Oh my! _The_ Ragnor Fell has a date tonight! Who is the lucky lady?”

“Out of everyone I know, why on earth would I tell you? You’ve probably dated her already, which I would honestly rather not know if you have.” He pauses before saying, “You may be acting like you’re giving up the bachelor lifestyle, but I’ve known you for far too long to believe that Magnus Bane, the man who got me kicked out of Peru, is settling down.”

“Oh, but I am, my friend.” Magnus and Ragnor share a wistful look. “You know I love Cat-“

”But not in the way you should to be marrying her!” These two have had this fight many times since Magnus had proposed last year. Magnus sighs deeply before looking back at his computer. Ragnor steps into his peripheral view again before continuing, “Look, you know how I feel about both of you. I don’t want either of you to get hurt, and I know one of you will.” 

Magnus stands up abruptly. “My dearest friend, I do not want to fight with you tonight. We are both very tired and will only end up saying things we don’t mean. I will see you in the morning; have fun on your date!”

With that, Magnus grabs his laptop and his suit jacket that has been hanging on the back of his chair and leaves the office building as quickly as he can. He climbs in a taxi and rides to his apartment so that he can avoid the rush hour traffic on the subway on his way home.

He is running a little behind on Catarina’s schedule, but he still thinks he can get all of her and Madzie’s stuff to his loft and still have enough time for a family dinner around his little oak that Raphael had given him when he first moved into his own apartment.

~~~

When Magnus arrives at Cat’s old place, Madzie and her mother are standing outside with all of their things sitting on the sidewalk in large garbage bags.

”I’m sorry, Cat; I lost track of time.” He leans down to kiss Madzie on the forehead and grabs one of the little girl’s bags to put in the trunk of his car. “In fact, Ragnor had to kick me out.” 

Catarina just laughs and starts putting her own things in her fiancé’s car. “I’m surprised he even noticed you were still there; I know he is just as much of a workaholic as you are.”

”But our illustrious Mr. Fell had a hot date tonight, Darling! He was practically pushing me out the door!” Magnus wiggles his eyebrows, and Madzie giggles at his antics while Cat just rolls her eyes.

The two adults finish packing the stuff into Magnus’s company car, strap Madzie into her car seat, and drive over to Magnus’s loft after picking up some Chinese takeout at a drive-thru from a restaurant that they hadn’t had a chance to try yet on their way home.

After they have finished eating, Cat takes her daughter to the bathroom so that Madzie can get washed up for bed and into her pajamas while Magnus brings their stuff up one bag at a time.

He is already on his third trip down the elevator when he starts feeling a little dizzy.

~~~

”Woah, lie back, beautiful. I think you hit your head.”

Magnus opens his eyes and sees the deepest and most welcoming hazel eyes he has ever seen before. His mouth moves without his permission and before he can stop it, he asks, “Am I dreaming?”

A rich, warm, almost surprised laugh fills the area, and Magnus realizes he couldn’t possibly feel embarrassed with that sound ringing in his ear.

The man, who is unfairly attractive and seems to know it quite well, picks Magnus up before gently setting him back on his feet. “No, you aren't; but I don’t think you have a concussion either. Or at least I hope you don’t. Do you remember your name?”

”Uh, ye-yeah, I do, I’m Ma-Magnus.” _Get it together, Bane! You do_ not _stutter._ “Magnus Bane; pleased to meet you, sir.”

”Oh, trust me, the pleasure is all mine,” the man drawls with a smirk that turns Magnus’s insides to mush. “Pray tell, what was an enrapturing creature such as yourself doing before you fainted.”

Magnus forces himself not to blush and not to drop his gaze which has been stuck on the other man’s shockingly clear eyes and his perfect nose and his high cheekbones that were just begging to be bitt- Magnus stops himself from continuing down that path. _You have a fiancé for fuck’s sake!_ He clears his throat and says, “Uh, I w-was on my way to bring up stuff from my car.”

”Would you like a hand? I don’t really have anything pressing right now.”

”No, you don’t have to do tha-“

The gorgeous man interrupts, “I _want_ to! I would love to help you out in any way I can!”

“I would deeply appreciate your help; thank you!”

Magnus knew it was probably just his imagination, but he thought the bewitching man in front of him looked a little sheepish after his outburst.

The Indonesian man smiles at the stranger, and the man smiles back at him easily and openly.

”Lead the way then.”

~~~

Magnus knows he is strong. He works out every morning at exactly six o’clock without fail. Sure, he doesn’t go to the fancy gym across the street because he is trying to save up for his and Cat’s wedding and Madzie’s third birthday which will be coming up soon after that; but the weights he has in his apartment were well used. 

But after watching the lovely man carry the rest of the girls’ stuff while he only carries one measly bag, suddenly Magnus doesn’t feel as strong as he did this morning before work. _He’s not even breaking a sweat!_

”You really didn’t have to grab that many!”

”I wanted to, Magnus. You shouldn’t try to do everything by yourself. You can ask others for help sometimes, you know?” The bronze-skinned man nods; Raphael has told him this plenty of times.

The taller (he made Magnus look short, and he is anything but), stronger man turns to Magnus and says, “And if everyone else says no, I’ll be here without a doubt. Whenever you need,” in such an honest way that Magnus feels his heart beat much faster than it did before.

Magnus doesn’t know how to respond so he doesn’t, and the pair ride the elevator up to Magnus’s floor in a comfortable, if not a little awkward, silence. When they reach his door, the shorter of the two quietly mentions that they have reached their destination. “You don’t have to leave right away! You could come inside if you wanted to; I could make you a cup of tea - or coffee if that’s what you prefer! - in thanks for all you’ve done for me today,” Magnus rambles.

After the angelic man shyly nods, Magnus forces himself to shut up and unlock his door. Pushing it open, he hears a loud gagging noise. He drops his single garbage bag and looks behind him where the sound had come from. The extremely handsome man has dropped all six bags on the ground and is leaning over with his hands over his nose and mouth.

”Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Magnus takes a step closer to the attractive stranger before Catarina makes her appearance at the doorway known. 

”Magnus, love, who are you talking to?”

Magnus turns back to where the other man had been standing not seconds ago and finds the space completely empty. The entire floor is silent and still. It is at this moment that Magnus realizes he never asked the other man for his name; so he doesn’t know how to honestly answer Cat. “Uh, just myself, I guess.” 

Cat laughs and says, “Okay, well finish up bringing the rest of the bags in, please. And you better hurry because Madzie is demanding for her nightly bedtime story.”

After Madzie has been successfully put to bed, Magnus creeps to his own bedroom. He can hear Catarina moving around in his bathroom; she is probably taking her makeup off so he is going to have to wait until she is out to take his off because his bathroom barely fits one person, there is no way it is going to fit two.

”I thought you were sleeping with Sweet Pea for the first week, Darling,” Magnus says with as much gentleness as he can gather after the long day he has had today.

”Well, I was planning to, but she said that she’s slept over enough that she doesn’t need her poor mother anymore. She also said that I snore.” Magnus laughs out loud at that.

”She’s not wrong.”

”No, she’s not, my love. This just means you can enjoy my snoring instead of her!” Catarina says cheerfully as she finally exits the bathroom. She looks relaxed in his bedroom, and Magnus doesn’t know how he should feel about that so he tries not to think about it.

”Lucky me...”

~~~

“Is this Magnus Bane speaking?”

“Yes, this is he; who’s calling?”

”Hi, Mr. Bane, this is Officer Lewis. I apologize for calling so late, but there’s been a murder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s that! Chapter 1 complete!
> 
> Just so you know, in the beginning, the language Magnus can’t identify is French; but Raphael adds in Spanish which makes it confusing. While Magnus is a master linguist, five-year-old him probably only knows Indonesian and a little English and probably wouldn’t have come into contact with any Romantic languages yet.
> 
> All of Raphael’s Spanish is google-translated:  
> 1\. La perra - The bitch  
> 2\. Mi culo - My ass
> 
> The fainting will be explained later so don’t worry about it yet!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed; if you did please leave a comment! And if you see a mistake, let me know!!!
> 
> Mk bye!


	2. My Heart Covered in Postage Stamps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re back! I’m finally out of school!!
> 
> I’m planning on updating on Friday nights/Saturday mornings but if y’all prefer a different day lmk ❤️
> 
> Ok so idk what to do with Raphael/Izzy/Simon so whatever gets the most comments for it is the winner...ig... they can all be together or not but I’m letting you guys decide
> 
> Let’s get started with the update!

When Magnus arrives at the scene, there are already police officers all over the place telling him he isn’t allowed to be there and pushing him away from the almost undamaged body. He doesn’t really hear them though because all he can think about is how his best friend Ragnor is dead.

”No! It can’t be!” Magnus screams. He falls to his knees, sobbing. An officer runs over to him. It is Officer Lewis, but the distraught man doesn’t seem to notice.

”Mr. Bane, I need you to calm down. I know you’re upset, but that isn’t going to help your friend.” The police officer looks down at the man kneeling on the pavement. “He’s gone.”

“It can’t be! I saw him just hours ago!” 

“We believe you were one of the last people he interacted with before he was killed; he had your number pulled up on his cellphone when our crime techs looked into it.” Magnus feels his heart construct a little more and his throat tighten a little too much. “That’s why I called you in the first place, and how I had your personal number to do so.”

”Who would’ve done this?” 

”We we’re hoping you would have an idea. Mr. Bane, I know it’s hard; but if you have any information on who might have wanted Ragnor dead, we need it.”

Magnus shakes his head. Tears have been freely rolling down cheeks since he arrived, but he doesn’t notice them until just now.

Officer Lewis sighs. “Well, if you think of someone, please call me from the number from earlier. He pats Magnus’s shoulder and walks away.

The Indonesian man looks at Ragnor’s pale, lifeless body again and can’t stop himself from throwing up. Now that he is looking closer, he can see two oddly-shaped puncture wounds in his friend’s long neck. He cries even louder.

Magnus isn’t an idiot. Raphael may not have ever drunk from a human, but that doesn’t mean Magnus doesn’t know what it looks like when a vampire has sucked their meals dry. He can’t look any longer.

~~~

If he had stayed even a moment longer, Magnus would have seen a tall, lanky form saunter over to the body on the ground while the officers were in a small huddle. The creature touched the wound of silent counterpart. Ragnor blinked his eyes open and saw large, seemingly innocent hazel eyes staring down at him.

”Get up. And follow me.”

~~~

Magnus starts walking aimlessly, going anywhere, and finds himself back at his office. The last place he had seen Ragnor. He decides to go in. _I at least owe Ragnor this much. I don’t know how, but I will honor his life._

He falls to the ground in front of Ragnor’s desk after pulling a picture frame with a picture of Ragnor, Caterina, and him on their last group vacation off of the desk. Clutching the picture closer, he doesn’t feel like he can keep moving. He can’t believe his friend is gone. He knows Cat is just waiting for at him at his apartment; but with Ragnor’s unexpected passing and Raphael being at his meeting, Magnus feels completely alone. He feels his body shut down from lack of energy. He didn’t think he was that tired, but he feels exhausted now. He shuts his eyes, feeling way warmer than he had just minutes before. He must have imagined the breath hitting the back of his neck as he slipped into an unanticipated peaceful sleep.

~~~

When Magnus wakes up, he first noticed that he is now cold again and that his head is pounding from last night. _I can’t believe I slept on the floor of my office._

He then notices that it is almost time for his coworkers to show up for work. He probably should go home and talk to Cat about what happened, but he doesn’t want to face her yet. He realizes that he is still holding onto the picture from last night and smiles down at it. He places it back on Ragnor’s desk - _used to be at least_ \- he reminds himself. As he is pulling his hand back, he sees a letter addressed to him.

”I am almost certain that wasn’t there last night,” Magnus whispers to himself.

He opens the letter. Its date says it’s from yesterday. It says,

_“Magnus, in case something happens to me, I want you to take over one of my cases. Only one though. The Lightwood deal. The young man wants a big house on the upper east side to make his future family home after he settles down a little more. He isn’t hard to deal with at all. In fact, I think you will get along. Please try.  
\- Ragnor Fell”_

Magnus cannot really make sense of it, but if that’s what Ragnor wanted then he will do it to the best of his ability. Right now though, he is going home to change, re-cooperate, and hopefully see Cat and Madzie.

~~~

”Goodbye, Sweet Pea! Have a great day at school! And Cat, we have to talk about something very important when you get back,” Magnus said somberly.

She can see in his eyes that she doesn’t want to know what he’s going to tell her later. His eyes always tell her everything. “Okay, Mags, I love you.” She kisses his cheek and grabs her daughter’s hand pulling her along to school. She’s out the door before Magnus can even say it back. 

Magnus is now physically ready to head back to work but not emotionally. He doesn’t even know if his office will be open the day after his boss was murdered, but he can’t not go to work just because he isn’t feel ready to face the day, especially after reading Ragnor’s letter.

Madzie had been a great and enthusiastic distraction while she was there, but now the loft feels deathly silent.

He grabs his coat and keys and heads for the elevator. When he steps inside, his mouth goes dry; and he immediately smells something wonderful. Something that makes him feel lightheaded again. 

Which is thankfully when the stranger from yesterday arrives. “Magnus! Good morning!” Magnus stands up straight again.

”Oh, h-hey! I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name last night.”

”Babe, you can call me whatever you like,” the man smirks down at Magnus, who gives an involuntary shiver at the dominating look in the kind stranger’s eyes. “But...my family calls me Alec. Alexander Gideon Lightwood, at your _very_ fine service.” Magnus’s can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face as Alec speaks.

“I like Alexander,” Magnus says quietly. ”Wait, I’m sorry, did you say _Lightwood_? You wouldn’t happen to be looking for a manor on the upper east side, would you?”

”I am! I’ve been staying with my sister in her apartment here for a while and now I’m ready to have a place to settle down in. Why do you ask, Gorgeous?”

”W-well, I work at a real estate office, and I’m pretty sure I just got assigned to your case,” Magnus says without taking a breath.

”No kidding! I must have done something really right in my past life to deserve such a pretty real estate agent.” Magnus can feel a blush spring up on his face at that. “Well, since we’re going the same way, why don’t we stop and get some coffee? I’d love to treat you, Angel.”

Magnus couldn’t seem to say no to this beautiful man so without much thought, he said, “I would love to, Alexander; but it really should be I who’s paying after all the help you gave me last night,” which makes the other man’s grin spread farther across his face. The taller man grabs Magnus’s hands and pulls him out the door of the elevator and towards the grander doors at the entrance of the lobby.

”I have so much to show you, Mags.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do y’all like the chapter titles? I honestly don’t so pls lmk what you think of it in the comments 
> 
> I know it’s a lot shorter than the last chapter so I’ll try to write a longer one next time
> 
> I love y’all!! Thank you for reading!!


	3. My Heart in the Fast Lane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah sorry i’m finally back! i definitely stopped paying attention to this fandom so i had to read a lot of malec before i could update again; sorry everyone
> 
> but here we go!

Magnus Bane is in way over his head. He is a responsible adult, and he can be honest with himself about this. The adorable bistro Alec takes him to is simply perfect. It is quiet and cosy and almost lacking any business at all. Actually, now that Magnus thinks of it, he notices that there are no other customers. 

Alec insists on ordering and paying for Magnus, which Magnus did put up a fight against but ultimately lost when Alec said, “Kitten please.” Magnus had gone completely soft at that and could not say come up with anything to say in return. Magnus usually never lets anyone order for him because he has such specific tastes but with Alec? Alec is just so trustworthy so, Magnus goes along with it. This means that all Magnus can do is sit patiently and wait for him to get back and try not to think about Ragnor.

The main issue though is Alec’s eyes following Magnus everywhere. They never leave his face. This is far from unpleasant, but the problem lies in the fact that he was actually enjoying Alec’s attention and obvious attraction. A lot. 

Alec approaches their tiny table with their drinks and a bag full of who knows what and says, “So, Angel, tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Does this count as our first date?” Magnus blushes, and Alec smirks before continuing, “And do I get another one soon?”

“Oh, I don’t know if we should. I mean we did just meet...and you are my client. I don’t know if that would be very professional of me.”

“But I want you, Sweetheart.” Magnus did not know how to respond to that. It is hard enough looking into Alec’s eyes right now, even though eye contact had always been something he had been praised for before; but answering him is near impossible. Alec keeps staring at Magnus until he eventually gives a disappointed sigh. “I thought you were finally ready for me, Darling, but I guess not.” Magnus gulps. He isn’t at all sure what Alec is talking about, and it puts him a little on edge.

“Alexand-“

“Alright, Angel, come with me to check out the manor; and we can keep talking about us on our way there.” He picks up their drinks and the bag and finally hands one of the drinks to Magnus. Magnus takes a sip of it and happily purrs in response. Somehow, Alec knew beforehand that Magnus was obsessed with caramel and had obviously asked the barista to dump in a lot of it. 

“Alexander, I am delighted to show you the manor, but perhaps we should briefly stop by my office first so I can pick up the keys to the house and a bit of paperwork involved with this particular sale. I have not been able to look into this property at all because, well, you simply were not my client until last night.”

“Would you like to know what I have noticed, Magnus?” A pleasant smile lights up Alec’s face, and Magnus cannot help but to return it. “I have noticed that you have stopped stuttering around me, and I cannot tell if I am a fan of that or if I detest it somehow.” Magnus begins to laugh at Alec’s observation. “Darling, why don’t we just grab a cab from here? I have the spare key to the manor, Mr. Fell have it to me last week, so you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about it.”

“I guess that should be fine, but you have to allow me to pay for the cab fare,” Magnus teases him.

“Absolutely not,” Alec teases right back. As Magnus tries to argue with him, Alec successfully calls over a taxi. He opens the door and then leans down towards Magnus’s face and whispers, “After you, Angel,” and instantly Magnus feels like he is freezing, and it has nothing to do with New York’s cool climate. He suddenly isn’t too sure that this is a good idea after all, Ragnor’s dying wishes be damned.


End file.
